


The Hitchhiker

by Better_Than_Chocolate



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 13:22:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18469810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Better_Than_Chocolate/pseuds/Better_Than_Chocolate
Summary: I'll be a better man todayI'll be good, I'll be goodAnd I'll love the world, like I shouldYeah, I'll be good, I'll be goodFor all of the timeThat I never could..Or Alec is driving towards the city when he spots a hitchhiker, Magnus, on the side of the road.





	The Hitchhiker

He was sitting in his car driving. He did the same route once or twice in every few months. The drive between Philadelphia and New York was somewhere between two and a half, three hours.

Long enough to allow him some piece of mind away from everything. Just him with the radio on, alone on the road. Well, not alone alone since the traffic could be a bit hectic, but there was no one talking to him or giving him a hard time. 

He enjoyed these journeys. No matter what happened or what was waiting for him, he could spend this time in piece. 

He usually drove home in the afternoon. It was the busiest time of the day, people going home from work, wherever that home would be. Now, however he waited for the rush hours to pass. He was in no hurry. 

He talked to his siblings before heading home, their parents were away for business, so it didn’t really matter what time he gets there. 

He had a glimpse on the dashboard to make sure he had enough petrol for the entire journey. He didn’t, but he knew there will be a small place half way through where he can stop to pump some gas and maybe to grab a bite. Again, he had time so there was no point spending a fortune in the city when he could get the same amount of gas for buttons in a small town on the way. 

It was the start of summer. The best of the year. 

The air smelled fresh. It wasn’t too warm to make him sweat, but he got no goose bumps with every passing wind. It was just perfect. 

He let the window down slightly. The cross wind was caressing his messy, raven black hair. His longer locks slightly tickled his face, but he didn’t mind. It was calming, feeling the air on his face. It made him feel free. 

The same went for driving. When he sat in his car and his hand was on the gear, his foot on the pedal, his other hand on the wheel, he felt like he was free. He could go anywhere. He could drive and drive as long as he wanted, nothing stopping him. 

He loved freedom. He loved every aspect of the thought of being free. 

He loved listening to the music, not too loud, almost like a back ground noise. Something to have other than the noise of his car and the upcoming traffic. 

He knew by the time he gets home it will be dark, the sun was still up but soon it will start to fall, start to leave the its place to duck under the horizon just before painting the whole sky in red and orange. 

He hummed along with the radio as he stood at the red light, fingers lazily tapping the wheel along with the rhythm of the song. 

He was in a good mood. It was a nice day in every aspect. 

He got a quick sip of his drink that was carefully placed in the cup holder before the lights turn green. 

He always had some drink in his car and one or two bars of chocolate. Just in case. He doubted he would ever stick in his car but also, he always liked to snack on something when he got bored, so it was a win-win deal for him. 

He had a twenty minutes’ drive on some narrow town road before he would join the motorway. Going on the alternative route was tempting. He done it a few times before, it was a lot more deserted with definitely less traffic. It also meant a quieter more peaceful drive. 

It took a bit longer, roughly twenty minutes, but he didn’t mind. Not today. 

When he approached the junction that lead him up on the motorway he slowed down slightly, taking a double look on the sign, biting his lip before focusing his gaze on the road ahead. 

He drove past it. He never really liked the rush of motorways, the repetitiveness of it. It was one long, straight, never-ending road; he would rather choose a side road with beautiful landscapes and small towns. It was more alive. 

He’s been driving for a few minutes when he spotted a figure on the side of the road. 

His brown furrowed in confusion. It wasn’t really close to any town or.. _anything_. The last town he passed was 20 minutes ago. The closer he got the more he could take out of the figure. 

It was a young man. Around his early 30’s. He was dressed in simple clothes. Nothing special, jeans, combat booths and a t-shirt. He was holding a backpack. 

He hesitated for a few moments, not sure what to do but then the man stuck his arm out raising his thumb. 

_A hitchhiker._

He slowed down and pulled his window down, slightly leaning forward to see the man from the drivers’ seat. 

“Hey.” He said licking his lips. 

The other man ducked his head and peeped in the window from the passenger’s side. 

“Hi.” The man said with a coy smile. Alec only realised now that the man was probably Asian or at least half Asian. His skin was a nice tone of caramel colour and had almost like feline cut eyes. 

“Where to?” Alec asked. 

“I’m heading to the city. Well, would love to.” The man said with a shy laugh. 

“New York?” 

“Yes.” The man nodded. 

“Pop in.” Alec said with a smile as he leaned over to open the passenger’s door. 

The man beamed with a smile before hopping in. 

“You are a life saver. I don’t know how I would have gotten there if you don’t come around. I’ve been walking in the last hour and not a single car slowed down.” He said with a shrug. 

“Good then I was driving around. What a coincidence, I almost headed to north on the motorway, but I changed my mind. Seems like its your lucky day..” 

“Magnus.” 

“It’s your lucky day Magnus. I’m Alec.” 

“It sure is. Alec as Alexander?” 

“Yes.” 

“Well thank you, Alexander.” The man said with a smile as he offered a hand. 

Alec wanted to say that he didn’t really like his name, and no one called him that ever, but he bit back his initial response and took the man’s hand with a smile. 

“Nice to meet you Magnus.” Alec said with a smile. The man’s hand was slightly warm and soft under his touch. It was nice. 

“You can throw your bag to the back.” Alec said as he looked behind to check for any traffic before pulling off. 

“Okay. Thanks.” The man said as he moved his bag to the back. He seemed happy to have more room for his legs. He was tall. Not as tall as Alec but tall enough to have no room for his legs comfortably especially with his baggage taking up most of the space. 

“So, do you live in the city?” The man asked after a few minutes. 

“Yes. I was doing some work in Philadelphia. I am just heading home now. It’s been a rough few days.” 

“I can relate to that. The last couple of days have been nothing but a disaster to me.” The man said with a sigh. He looked tired and Alec didn’t want to poke in his personal life, so he just nodded and hummed. 

“Do you live in New York?” He asked instead. 

“I do. I’ve been visiting someone in Philadelphia.. but things went sideways to say the least, hence I’m here with a backpack and nothing but the aching loss of my money and dignity. The latter hurts more.” The man said with a laugh and Alec felt his lip twitching into a smile. It was indeed an unfortunate situation but listening to the man being positive about it, as much as someone could in his case, was delighting. 

“I guess you are a New Yorker then as well.” 

“Yep. Borb and raised in New York.” Alec nodded as he pulled down the visor. Driving in sunset was only fun until it started to sink further and further down until it was blinding completely. 

He cursed as he looked for his sunglasses. 

“Need a hand?” The man asked with a raised eyebrow after Alec tapped around blindly for a few seconds. 

“Yeah, could you check the glove compartment for my sunglasses?” 

“Sure.” The man said with a nod before pulling out his sunglasses with a grin of a winner. 

“Thanks.” Alec said with a smile as he looked at the man for a second before taking his glasses from him. Their fingers brushed for a second and Alec suddenly wished he would wear a mask so it would hide his flushed cheeks at least. 

“You’re welcome.” The man said and although Alec tried to avoid looking at him again, he could still hear that he was smiling. 

“So.” Alec said as he cleared his throat. “How old are you?” 

“I would pull off a mocked offence now for asking my age, if you weren’t the one driving, but considering that I don’t want to end up in the middle of the field or collided with a tree I pass the chance. I am 32.” He said with a laugh and Alec wished he wouldn’t be driving now so he could hide his face in his hands without the actual threat of an accident. 

“I’m 24.” He said, even though the man didn’t ask, he thought it was only fair to share the same about himself. 

“Hmm.” The man said as he looked at Alec with his head slightly tilted. 

“What?” Alec asked as he moved his gaze between the road and the man. 

“Nothing.” The man shrugged. 

“Do you have any siblings?” Alec asked after a few minutes of silence. He always loved to talk about his so he thought it would be a nice topic to drop in. 

“No. With the parents I had its probably for the better.” Or not. 

“I’m sorry.” Alec said and he wasn’t sure if he was apologising for the past tense or for the topic he chose. Probably both. 

“No need darling. What about you?” He tried to ignore the tingle he felt hearing the pet name so he focused all his attention on the question. 

“I do. Three actually. I’m the oldest. Then I have Jace. He is my adoptive brother. He came to our family when I was 12. He is nothing like us by the look but apart from that? He is really one of us. Then I have Izzy. My little sister, well, not so little considering we only have 3 years between each other. But she will always be my little sister.” He said smiling fondly as he thought about her sister. 

“And Max. He is the youngest. Only 14. God, he is going through all this teenage phase of his life driving all of us insane. I’m pretty sure the three of us combined weren’t as bad as he is. But he is a good kid. Smart and he has a heart made of gold.” He added with a smile. 

“I guess it runs in the family.” Magnus said with a warm smile. 

“Jace is great too. He is.. he is one of those guys that if you don’t know him you want to punch him in the face because he is all cocky and a bit of a dick but in the inside he has a huge heart..he is a real goof. You just have to get to know him to find the real Jace under all the mask.” He said and he meant it. Jace was like a giant teddy bear. He showed one thing to the world but in reality, he was very caring and loving about the people who were close to his heart. 

He and Alec clicked instantly and been inseparable ever since. 

“What about Isabelle?” 

“She is.. she beautiful and smart, very smart actually. I guess I saved all the good traits for her.” He said with a laugh. 

“I doubt that.” The man said but it sounded very much like a cough. Alec wasn’t even sure if he heard it right. 

“What?” He asked as he leaned slightly closer to the man. 

“I just said I doubt it.” 

They reached a junction and they came to a stop as the lights turned red. 

He looked at the man, trying to read his emotions. The sunlight was making his skin glow as if he would be covered in gold. It was mesmerizing, the way his eyes shined due to the sun. 

“You said your siblings got all the good traits.. like being kind hearted, smart and beautiful. I think you alone, posses all those.” The man said quietly, and Alec had to fight against getting lost in the man’s gaze. His throat went dry and he licked his lips, hoping that with a few seconds head start he will be able to come up with a sensible reply. 

They both jolted as someone behind them laid on their horn impatiently. He didn’t realise the lights turned green, so he stepped on the clutch and changed into gear, letting his response to get lost as they headed on. 

“Tell me something about yourself.” Alec said after a while, when the silence grew awkwardly long. 

“Hmm.. I have a cat.” The man said after a few seconds of thinking. 

“Yeah?” Alec asked as he looked at the man. The sun started to sink below the horizon, so he removed his glasses and tossed them into an empty space somewhere between the two seats. He could have asked the man to put it back, but he was afraid their fingers would brush again and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to touch him. 

“Yep. He is a stray cat. Well, was. I found him one day, curled up on the side of the road near my flat. Poor thing was dirty and wet. He was so tiny. A wee kitten. I brought him up to my flat to feed him and to let him to dry a bit. By the morning we were sleeping together on my bed and I didn’t have the heart to put him out. Who am I kidding? I would have probably cried if he would have left.” The man laughed. His laugh caused absolutely illogical things to Alec. No one’s heart starts to beat faster just because someone’s laugh and pretty sure no one’s stomach coils from it. 

“What’s his name?” 

“Erm.. Chairman.. Meow.” Magnus said hesitantly. 

Alec fixated his gaze on the road ahead for a few seconds before the laugh erupted him. It came from the bottom of his heart. He tilted his head back; he felt his shoulders shaking with each giggle. 

He tried to stop and managed to calm down just so he could start again. 

“It’s not that funny, you know?” The man asked as he scratched the back of his neck. Despite his serious expression Alec could see how his eyes were smiling. 

“You gotta admit Magnus. It is.” He said with a smile. 

“Who am I to disagree?” The man smiled before his gaze travelled down to something between them. 

Alec glimpsed down to see what the man could be looking at. 

“Feel free to take one.” He said as he realised that the two chocolate bars were still there. 

“Sure?” Magnus asked tentatively. 

“Only if you give me the other one.” He said with a smile. 

“I see what I can do.” The man said with a grin and he opened the first one and took a bite. 

“Ohmmm… it is godsent.” He moaned and Alec had to grab the steering wheel if he didn’t want to let out a pathetic whimper. His knuckles whitened as he held onto it like he was holding onto dear life. 

“Like it?” 

“It’s the best one I ever had.” The man said with a mischievous look and they both busted into a laugh. “I took great care of choosing them.” Alec said seriously with a nod. 

“Worth all the efforts.” The man said with a matching seriousness in his tone before they giggled again. 

Magnus was munching on it like he didn’t have chocolate in ages. 

Alec frowned. Maybe he didn’t. “Have you had those before?” He asked finally, letting his curiousness to take over. 

“Not in a long time.” The man said as he crumbled the paper into his fist before reaching his hand for the other one. Alec watched from the corner of his eyes as he opened it slowly before moving it towards him. 

He just looked at the man with confusion. 

“Not as if I don’t trust you dear, but I guess there is a valid point behind having both hands on the steering wheel.” He said. 

“I can do it with one hand.” Alec said. 

“I’m sure you can do magic with your hands.” The man murmured and Alec was glad he didn’t take a bite yet because he was sure he would’ve ended up choking on that damn chocolate right now. The innuendo was there for sure, whether it was intentional or not, it was obvious. 

“Yeah.. okay.” He said instead and leaned closer to take a bite. 

It’s damn hard to take a bite of something while holding your breath back. 

The sun was gone by now, the clouds were getting darker and darker as the night approached, creeped up on them slowly but surely. 

They spent the next half an hour talking about everything and anything, from foods to movies, books and then about more serious things. 

“So, tell me. Apart from your siblings..is there anyone special in your life?” 

“Uhh..no.” Alec said and he could feel the heat creeping up on his cheek. It was too familiar by now, since Magnus joined him on his way home it started to become a habit. 

“It’s hard to believe.” Magnus said with a smile that indeed was unbelieving. 

“It’s the truth.” 

“What’s the deal breaker? You snore? Oh no.. you drink the milk out of the bottle?” Magnus asked gasping and Alec bit his lips as he tried to keep his laugh back with not much success. 

“I’m gay.” He said before he realised the words were slipping out. 

“There is nothing wrong with being gay.” Magnus said with a smile. It wasn’t mocking, it was honest and supportive. 

“I know. I guess.. okay. I’m so deep in the closet.. like Narnia is calling me its fucking king.” He said and this time it was Magnus who tried everything to hold his laugh back, but his efforts were fruitless. 

Alec just looked at the road stubbornly for a few seconds before Magnus’ laughs worked up on him and he started to laugh as well. 

He had to pull down because he could hardly see from his tears. 

He never talked about anyone about his sexuality, apart from Izzy and Jace. He had no idea why he shared it with Magnus. It just came out. Like a burp. He couldn’t stop it or avoid it. Saying it out loud to someone who wasn’t family however sent a wave of relief through his body. He could feel his muscles untensing from the confession. One that he’s been carrying for a decade now. 

They were looking at each other as their breathing calmed down and their laughter slowly died down. 

“Thank you.” Alec said before he could take it back. 

“For what?” Magnus asked, tilting his head slightly. 

“For accepting it?” It came out as a question, even though he means it as a statement. 

“Oh darling.. there is nothing to thank for. It should be the way.” Magnus said and he looked somewhere between said and happy as he smiled at Alec. 

“Still.” He said as they set back on the road. 

“I love this song.” Alec said and turned up the volume on the radio. 

Magnus frowned as he listened to the song. 

_I'll be a better man today I'll be good, I'll be good And I'll love the world, like I should Yeah, I'll be good, I'll be good For all of the time That I never could_

Alec watched as the man zoomed out for a second, like he was in a totally different world, a world on his own. 

“Are you okay?” He asked as he watched the man staring a point on the windscreen. 

“Yes. I’m good. Just.. I’m good.” He said with a smile that for the first time, didn’t look that honest. 

They were less than an hour from the city when Alec spotted a small diner at the side of the road. They had a petrol station as well, which came handy as he was running low on gas. 

“I need to fill up the tank. How about we grab a bite?” He asked as he turned off the engine. 

“Yeah.. sounds good to me.” Magnus looked suddenly nervous. Alec assumed that it was due to his financial situation. He mentioned that he was really skinned, that’s why he had to hitchhike. 

“Come on.” He smiled reassuringly at the man who tried to copy his smile, but it was way too forced and even faker. 

They walked to the diner and Alec opened the door for Magnus. 

They slipped into a booth by the window. It was exactly what you would expect from a place on the side of the road. 

It was pretty dead, hardly anyone sitting at the tables apart from a family of four and two men. 

The floor was aluminium with black and white tiles, the walls were white one day but now they were slightly turning grey and yellow, the paint was peeling off here and there. 

The booths were covered in red. 

It wasn’t bad but needed some renovation sooner or later. 

Alec grabbed the menu, but it was rather to keep his mind occupied and to stop himself from staring at the man now that he could have a proper look under the light. 

He was handsome. He was only a head shorter than Alec with a slim body and broad shoulders. 

“Hey. What can I get you?” A voice chirped and Alec was dragged back to reality. 

He looked at Magnus who just shrugged sheepishly and Alec bit his lips for a second before talking. 

“We get two cheeseburgers with chips and coke.” He glanced at Magnus who just nodded, agreeing with Alec’s choice. 

“Any desert pretty boy? A cherry pie perhaps?” The woman winked at Alec who swallowed hard. 

“We are good.” Magnus said suddenly and both Alec and the woman looked at him. 

“Thanks.” Alec murmured once the woman was out of sight. 

“For what?” Magnus asked with honesty in his voice, but Alec could see the mischief in his eyes as he smiled. 

They spent the rest of their meals talking about general things. For example, how they both utterly hated pickles in burgers. It was like pineapple on pizza. Just wrong. 

“$18.50” The woman said carelessly as she blew a bubble with her bubble gum. 

Alec saw Magnus’ hand moving towards the pocket of his jeans, but he grasped his wrist half way through. He tried to ignore the electricity that shot through him going from his fingertips towards his heart that now beat like crazy in his chest. 

“My treat.” He said with a smile as he took out his wallet and put a $20 note on the table. 

“Thank you.” Magnus looked at him with a shocked impression. It’s not like Alec bought the man a night in the Hotel Palace. 

“C’mon. You can pay next time.” Alec said and he didn’t realise the implication he let to slip out. He quickened his steps, he wanted to get out, into his car and home as soon as possible before he totally and completely mortifies himself. 

The last forty minutes of the drive has passed quickly. They were both enjoying the music coming from the radio and each other’s company. 

The night sky was dark, peppered with hundreds and thousands of starts as Alec pulled down in the outer part of New York. 

He insisted Magnus that he would take him home but he said he had some things to do before he goes home. 

“Are you sure? It’s no problem really.” Alec said and he meant it. He tried to sussh the voice in the back of his mind saying that Alec just wanted to spend more time with Magnus and he didn’t want the night to end. 

“I’m positive darling. Thank you. For everything.” Magnus said with a smile as hugged his back pack to his chest. 

“I enjoyed it. I haven’t had a travelling company since.. ever. So it was nice.” Alec said smiling at the man. 

“Could I get your number? So we could meet up and I could pay back to you for.. your help.” Magnus waved his hand around. 

“Yeah..sure.” Alec said, almost choking on the words. His hand was shaking slightly as he tried to dig out his phone from his pocket. 

“My phone is dead. Could you write it down?” Magnus asked biting on his lip. 

“Uhm..sure.” Alec said as he leaned closer tentatively to open the glove compartment. He always had pen and paper in there in case he would need to write down his or someone’s else details in case of an accident. 

He jotted down his number, hoping that it was readable. 

“Here.” He handed it to Magnus. The man reached out and Alec’s breath hissed as their fingers touched again. 

He looked at the man with his eyes slightly parted. He saw something on the man’s face he couldn’t recognise, but whatever it was, it was gone as the man cleared his throat and shuffled in his seat. 

He watched as the man unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door. 

He watched as his hand stopped on the door handle for a second and Alec desperately hoped for a moment that he would lean back. But he didn’t. Magnus got out and closed the door behind himself and Alec let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

He watched as the man walked around the car and he pulled down the window as the man stopped on his side. 

“Yeah?” He asked and his voice sounded unknown even to his own ears. 

Magnus ducked his hand and leaned in slightly, his lips hoovering just above Alec’s ears. 

“You are truly special Alexander.” He said quietly, his hot breath tingled the sensitive skin, sending shivers down at Alec’s spine. 

Magnus pulled back slightly, and he placed a feather like kiss on the corner of Alec’s mouth. 

Alec wanted to move to grab the man, to kiss him fully on his lips but he was frozen, hardly blinking as the man pulled away completely and disappeared in the night. 

  


It’s been two days since Alec picked up Magnus. He cursed himself for not asking the man for his full name or for not asking him for his phone number. 

He tried to forget the man but no matter how hard he tried or what he did his thoughts went back to the older man again and again. Alec hated to admit but he never felt that kind of connection with anyone before. He enjoyed every moment they spent together, and he really wanted it to happen again. For a million times at least. 

He was about to start his care when his phone buzzed in his pocket. The last two days, every time he got a message, or a phone call his heart hammered in his chest just to sink low once he realised that the call was coming from his siblings or parents. 

Therefore, he didn’t have his hopes up by now. 

His surprise was even bigger when he looked at the screen. _Unknown number_

“Hallo?” He said and he hoped he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt. 

_“Alexander.”_

“Magnus, he-“ 

“Listen to me. On that day. When you picked me up.. I met the purest, most innocent man. You were so nice, so kind..just so _good_. When I saw your car, I hoped you would stop. I wanted you to stop. I wanted to kill you. I hoped you would stop somewhere along the way, so I could kill you, dump your body in a ditch and drive off with your car. But then we talked and you were so.. _you_. And I couldn’t bring myself to it. I couldn’t bare the idea to destroy something so pure. You didn’t deserve that. You deserve the world. Please promise me Alexander.. that you will never, ever pick up another hitchhiker.”


End file.
